


The Gift of a Gentle Heart

by Mawgon



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Promiscuous Elves AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-12 01:45:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4460537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mawgon/pseuds/Mawgon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thranduil's guards complain that one of their number, Loren, is a terrible bore and knows nothing but duty. They all agree that he needs to get laid, but no one seems ready to DO anything about it, so Legolas, aware of his responsibility as a prince, takes the matter into his own hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for the "Pity Fuck" prompt at Hobbit Kink Meme: http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/14338.html?thread=26173442#t26173442  
> As this fill wouldn't work with the monogamous canon elves, I invented my own variety of promiscuous elves, who still fit into the canon ... sort of. Read and find out.

A feast like many other. Celebrating the blossoming of the lilies, this time. Legolas had already had some drinks. He was sitting with some men of the guard, joking and laughing.  
“Where’s Loren?” Legolas asked after a while. The loner guard was not on his usual place at the fringe of the party.  
“Already gone to bed”, someone suggested.  
They all laughed. It was a joke among them that Loren never got drunk, never did anything remotely fun.  
“He’s such a bore.”

Legolas frowned. “You know, I think you’re not being fair to him. If someone just showed him some ... kindness ...” 

“Bah, kindness. He needs to get laid.”

“That’s what I meant.” He smiled. Yes, that was a good idea. Why hadn’t he come up with it earlier? “I’ll take care of that.”

When he left to look for Loren, cries of “There he goes, our brave prince”, and “What a sacrifice!” followed him. 

He found Loren behind some blossoming shrubs, where the silent guardsman was watching the stars. 

“Here you are!”

Loren turned around. “My lord?”

“That’s a beautiful sight”, Legolas contemplated. “You, standing among those white blossoms.” It really was. Should be painted. Actually ... “You are very handsome.”

“You are drunk, my lord”, Loren stated gently. 

“Just a bit tipsy.”

Loren sighed. “You should retire before you say something you may regret tomorrow.”

A smile spread across Legolas’ face. “Retire? Well ... do you know the clearing nearby? The one under the ancient oak, with the two young birches on the other side?

“I do, my lord. Why?”

“Because I’m going to be there in about, oh, some time soon.” He tilted his head. “Naked. Come and keep me company if you want to ...”

He chuckled at Loren’s shocked expression and walked away. 

 

Loren didn’t know what to do. Prince Legolas was drunk, so much was obvious. He would never have said such words while sober ... even though Loren had always yearned to hear them. Not really, though. He would not have dreamt ... heroically killing some of the giant spiders, and an approving slap on the back by his prince was all he had dared hope for.  
Legolas’ hand on his back, feeling its warmth through his clothes ... yes, that was the most he had ever hoped for.

And now this. He felt as if his heart must burst with happiness. Though there was also worry. Not everyone reacted to strong wine in the same way. While some fell asleep when they had had enough, and some had slurred speech or couldn’t walk anymore, it might well be that with Legolas, only his mind was affected. 

Yes, it must be the wine talking. Which of course didn’t mean he shouldn’t follow Legolas. The forest was dangerous, even within the guarded borders, and if the prince fell asleep there in his vulnerable state ... no, that was not acceptable.


	2. Chapter 2

Having arrived at the soft, mossy glade, Legolas slipped out of his robes and laid down to wait for Loren. 

It was a clear night, and he could see the stars above. Loren would like that. If he came. Probably he wouldn’t, judging from his shocked expression ... 

 

“My lord?”

Legolas moved his head to the side, and sure enough, there stood Loren, in the pale moonlight. “Come here and kiss me.”

“My lord, you are not in your right senses.”

“I can still talk, can I not? Loren, please ...”

This pleading seemed to win the guardsman over. He knelt down and bowed to share a kiss with Legolas. A very chaste and gentle kiss, but most delicious anyway. 

“My lord”, he whispered. “We should not be doing this ... you will be ashamed tomorrow.”

“I will not, I promise. Come here.” Ashamed, he? He had fucked half of the castle guard while sober. Half of the males, more precisely, but still. “You can just lie down here, then you will have done nothing and no one can blame you”, he suggested. 

Loren did as suggested and Legolas straddled him. The linen of the guard’s garments rubbed against his naked skin as they kissed again. “You are wearing way too many clothes”, he mumbled. 

Despite his earlier misgivings, Loren readily took off his clothes, and sighed happily when Legolas laid down on him again. 

“May I ... touch you, my lord?”

“Of course!” Legolas chuckled. 

Soft fingertips ran over the skin of his back, tracing the lines of his muscles and some scars he had there. He shivered with arousal. None of his previous lovers had been quite so thorough.

He sat up and felt for Loren’s erection. When he had found it, he lost no time with preparing. He was experienced, he could take it. 

Strong hands grabbed his hips. “No.”

“What?”

“I will not let you do something that will hurt you, my lord. Not in your present state”, Loren said softly. “You wish for your desire to be satisfied ... I shall do everything in my power. But I cannot allow you to get hurt.”

“Alright”, Legolas murmured. He let himself be turned around so that the laid on his back in the soft grass. 

Maybe, he thought, he really was more than a bit tipsy, because he enjoyed this much more than expected. Loren’s calloused hands exploring every inch of his body, the quiet, but quick-paced breath of the guardsman ...

“May I kiss you again, my lord?”

“Oh, please”, he moaned. One kiss only was on the lips, the rest was distributed evenly on his chest. Calloused thumbs caressed the insides of his thighs while soft lips touched his nipples. 

“I ... I need you. Now”, he gasped. 

In reply, Loren started to let his hands wander upwards between his tighs. “You ... wish to be stimulated more indirectly?”, he inquired. 

“Oh yes!” Legolas wasn’t even sure what he was begging for at that point. Just more. 

Deft fingers slid in between his balls and his hole, and rubbed the soft skin there. 

“Good?”

He could just nod, enthusiastically, as his breath came faster. 

Loren rolled him to his side, then drew him to his large chest before continuing. Now Legolas could feel the other man’s erection press against his lower back, and moved against it. 

He felt soft kisses on his neck, and fingers tracing his stomach muscles before they, again, went back between his legs. Stimulated him until his arousal almost hurt, then hesitated. Then started again. 

“So good”, he murmured. “Don’t stop again, I need ...” Arousal washed over him as he climaxed. 

It lasted longer than usual, and he trembled in Loren’s arms. “That was _good_ ”, he mumbled, before he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, Legolas woke up in his own bed, fully clothed, except for shoes. Had it been all a dream? He usually didn’t go to bed in all his clothes. And they were not even stained, as would be expected if it had really happened. 

The alcohol had rendered his sleep deep enough so that he didn’t remember anything after falling asleep. Before falling asleep, though ... Loren. He had been with Loren. And it had been a most enjoyable experience. Really, the others didn’t know what they missed. Loren’s wife would be the happiest elf ever. The most enviable, too. If only he could ...

There was a soft knock at the door, and a moment later, a servant entered to refill his washbasin. 

“Excuse me?” He sat up. 

“Oh!” She almost dropped the water bucket. “I was not aware that you were awake.”

“Sorry, didn’t want to scare you. Now, do you happen to know what I did last night? I’m afraid I was very drunk.”

“Don’t worry”, she replied in a cheerful voice, returning to the task of refilling the pitcher next to his washbasin. “Apparently, Loren, the guardsman, noticed that you had had enough to drink and escorted you to your room. King Thranduil will approve.”

Legolas nodded. His father did very much not approve of his “dalliances” with the guards. Nor of the fact that Legolas often woke up in some meadow and in some state of undress on the morning after feasts. The one time his father had found him like this was one of his most embarrassing memories. 

Had it all been a dream? Had Loren never touched him in this delicious way he thought he remembered? But it could not be, the memory was very clear ...

“Do you want to keep that, my lord?”

The servant showed him a lily blossom. “It was in your washbasin.”

“Oh, yes, please. Give it to me.” This was one of the lilies that had been in flower on the forest glade where he had been with Loren ... had Loren left it as a reminder? How sweet!

 

After breakfast, Legolas set out to find Loren. When he finally found him, it was at the exact same place where they had met the last night; the shrubs at the border of the gardens. Apparently, Loren was not on duty, as he wore only light linen robes. 

“Loren?”

The guardsman turned around. “My lord?” he replied with a bow of his head. 

“You ... do remember last night, do you?” All of a sudden, he felt awkward. 

“Yes ... my lord.”

“I wanted to thank you. For everything, really, but especially for taking me back to my room.”

“It was a matter of course.”

“And in case you wondered, I am not ashamed of what we did.”

Loren’s face lit up with a shy smile. “I am glad to hear that.”

They stood there in silence for a while, until Loren spoke. “May I ask you something, my lord?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you choose me? I ... I was not aware that you even knew my name.”

“You have been here for many years. It would be rather neglectful to not have learnt your name by now.” Legolas smiled. “I only noticed how handsome you are yesterday, for some reason.”

“Oh.” Loren looked surprised, as if he was not used to compliments. Maybe he really wasn’t. 

“Why did you come?” He had taken it for granted, but considering that Loren could have everyone if only they knew ... 

“I could not leave you alone in that state”, Loren replied quietly. 

“So you ...” He had only done it out of a sense of duty? 

Loren murmured something that sounded like “My lord”, and shook his head. “That was why I came. But not why I decided to stay. You cannot be unaware of your own charms.”

As a matter of fact, he would have liked to know what exactly Loren found attractive about him, but asking for a more precise explanation would make him seem vain, so he settled for that.


	4. Chapter 4

In the following days, he often sought out Loren’s company. Loren didn’t talk much even now, but his presence was somewhat ... calming, and when he said something, it was always well-conceived and, at times, even wise. 

Legolas would have liked to initiate sex once more, but now that he knew Loren better, he felt ... too shy, somehow. When he had thought he was doing Loren a favour, it had been easy. Now that he knew it was more the other way around, though ...

In the end, it did not matter. It was nice spending time with Loren, any way. 

Others noticed his changed habits, of course. His father did not comment, probably happy that Legolas spent his time with someone respectable for a change. 

The guards were another matter. They talked among each other, and he should not have been as surprised as he was when one of them asked why he was still spending time with Loren. “Still trying to get him to loosen up?”

“Kind of”, Legolas mumbled, turning his face away to hide his embarrassment. How could he ever have thought of Loren that way? Treated him that way? 

“You’re clearly wasting your time.”

He didn’t see it that way. Quite the opposite, actually. He ... was this what love felt like? Not that he ever felt very excited when he met Loren. No butterflies in his stomach, nothing like that, but ... he just felt happy. Happy and content. And he very much did not want to be with anyone else. 

When he met Loren the next time, he paid closer attentions to his own feelings, and reached the conclusion that, most likely, he was in love. At the very least he could imagine a permanent union with Loren, something he would not have thought possible with anyone not too long ago. 

Loren didn’t seem too happy, and, when questioned, revealed that Tauriel had yelled at him the day before. “She said I’m useless and a disgrace and no one would miss me if I died.”

“What? You aren’t ... I would miss you!”

Loren rewarded him with a shy smile. “I know. She doesn’t mean it, it is just her way of letting me know that I messed up ... still, it hurts.”

“I’ll kiss it better”, Legolas offered. 

“My lord”, Loren breathed, hardly audible, his eyes widening in surprise. His smile broadened. And then they kissed. No butterflies, still, but such an all-encompassing feeling of happiness that Legolas was sure. He was in love. 

############################

 

Loren knew he was late, but he didn’t mind. This one time, he was too happy to think about punctuality. It was only guarding the dungeons, anyway, and the only prisoner was a human male who had been caught trying to hunt in the woods. He would be sent on his way with the next ranger that visited. 

As he walked down the stairs, Loren heard voices. And his own name mentioned. He hesitated. 

“Not like him, to be late.”

“The cure is finally working.” Laughter. 

What were they talking about? 

“Now that he’s loosened up, Legolas can finally get back to fucking real men. He’s wasted too much time with this pity fuck anyway.”

Loren cleared his throat, but no one heard him, they kept talking, and it became even more obvious what they were discussing. He had heard enough. 

 

Silently he sneaked up the stairs again, then walked to Tauriel’s office. 

“You?” Tauriel stared at him as if he wasn’t real. “You are on duty!”

“I want to ask for a sick leave.”

Seemingly realizing that he was not an apparition, the captain of the guard hurriedly removed her feet from the desk. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean what I said yesterday, I was just worried because you nearly got yourself killed, I ...”

“I know.”

“You do look unwell, though. Take all the time you need to recover! You are one of my best elves!”

“Thank you, Captain. One day should be enough.”

“So sorry! I ...” She hesitated. “You probably don’t want to see me right now, so ... go away and spend some time with friends until you are better, will you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Poor Tauriel. He should not let her believe that this was her fault. On the other hand, maybe it didn’t hurt to show her that she needed to reign her temperament in a little, and anyway, telling anyone what really happened was impossible. 

If he didn’t manage to get over it, he would have to tell her the truth, eventually. But he fully intended to get over it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elves don't get sick from physical causes, so my headcanon is that they get really, really sick from psychosomatic causes. A bad insult may trigger something equal to a headache, and so on.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Legolas waited for Loren until it was nearly midday. His initial giddyness had vanished by then, replaced by worry. He searched for Loren, and found him on the opposite end of the gardens. 

“Loren?”

Loren didn’t turn around. “You need not waste more time with me, Lord Legolas. I do not want your pity. Go back to your lovers, they already miss you.”

“Loren ...” Who had told him? Legolas would strangle that bugger with his bare hands! “Who told you about this?” Too late he realized that this was as good as a confession. 

“No one, I found out myself. Don’t worry, I would never have changed my ways, regardless of how often you fucked me.” He sounded so hurt it was heartwrenching. 

“Let me explain, I ...”

“Leave, please.”

Legolas didn’t know what else to do but leave. 

############

Thranduil was in quite a good mood. His son seemed to have finally grown a brain, the spider population was under control, and, overall, the situation in the forest had not worsened. 

On the way to his chambers, though, he noticed that something was off. More precisely, the guard in front of his door looked unwell. 

Thranduil walked up to him and scrutinized him. “You there. Loren.”

The guardsman bowed. “Sire?”

“Follow me into my chambers. It is not as if they need guarding anyway.” There had been no crime in Mirkwood ever after his wife’s death. 

Cold fear crept up in his body and formed a squeezing fist around his heart as he thought about the guardsman. He had seen those symptoms before. Emaciated face, eyes deep in their hollows, dull hair ... 

Loren followed him meekly. “What can I do for you, sire?”

“Let me look you over.” He took the young elf by the shoulders, searching for some sign of health or happiness. Finding none. “You are fading.”

“Oh, really?” Loren didn’t seem very surprised. He didn’t even seem to care. Which made it worse. 

“When did you eat the last time?”

“Seven days ago ... or eight? I don’t know. Why would you care, sire?”

“Someone did this to you. Who?”

“I am sorry, sire”, Loren replied in a monotonous voice. “You are mistaken. No one did anything to me.”

“Yes he did! Why else would you fade?” He had brought the murderer of his beloved wife to justice, and by Elbereth, he would have whoever had done this to Loren executed. 

“It is just ... a broken heart, sire. I was not wronged in ... any meaningful way. Just a bit lovelorn.”

“Nonsense. To be rejected doesn’t cause this! What happened?” It must, at the very least, have been a very cruel rejection. 

“I might have been led to believe that my love was reciprocated, while it actually was not”, Loren murmured. “Please, let it go, sire. You cannot help me.”

“Maybe I cannot help you”, Thranduil hissed between closed teeth. “But I can have your murderer executed, and I swear by Elbereth, I can and I wi-“

He could not continue, due to a hand on his mouth. Loren being as weakened as he was, though, the hand was easily wrestled away.  
“Your intention to prevent me from making an ill-thought out oath is appreciated”, he said gently. “But trust me, I thought about this. I am ready to execute anyone who would do something as cruel.”

“Even your own son?” Loren whispered. 

“Even ... Legolas! Elbereth above!”

“You understand now, sire?” Loren looked at him with hopeless, empty eyes. 

“No, I don’t. I cannot imagine ... Legolas would not ... I don’t want to believe ... I will investigate this. There, sit down here.” He ushered Loren to a comfy chair. “Don’t move too much, or you will get weaker the faster. I know that you don’t care, but I do. I order you to stop fading!”

“I shall try, sire.”

#########

Legolas sat on the clearing where it all had started, and stared at the wilting lilies. It was over. And it was all entirely his fault. Loren still refused to talk to him, and was well within his rights to do so. 

He sighed. Why, oh why had he not confessed at the earliest possible moment? Then all of this might have been avoided ... or maybe not. He should never have propositioned Loren the way he had. Should have started with proper courting, and ... but then, he wouldn’t have fallen in love if he had not ... Loren would be happier that way. 

He laid down, pressed his face to the cool grass. The memory of that fateful night hurt. Loren had been so gentle, so thoughtful ... 

When a shadow fell on him suddenly, he hoped, for a moment, that it was Loren. 

“Las?”

Of course not. “Father?” he lifted his head and blinked. His eyes were full of tears. 

“What is wrong?”

“It is ... nothing of interest to you, father.”

“That is for me to decide.” Now, there was steel in his father’s voice. 

“I am crossed in love. And please don’t tell me that you told me so.”

“It behooves you to be unhappy, considering what you did.”

“What I did?” He jumped to his legs. “What do you mean?!” 

“Loren is fading.”

“He ... what? Father ... please, tell me it’s not true!” 

“I’m sorry.” His father stepped closer and hugged him. “And I am glad that you seem to regret it. Now, what exactly have you done?’

“We were ... intimate.”

“Have I taught you nothing? Have I not told you, time and again, that your dalliances will come to no good end?”

“But ... but ... it only happens with female elves! You told me so yourself! Elves of the same sex cannot bond in the same way - ”

“I also taught you that there are exceptions.” His father stroked his hair as though he was just ten summers old. “Some male elves are sensitive. You shouldn’t have played around with his heart. Please ... tell me that at least he meant _something_ to you.”

“He means everything to me.” His voice broke, and he had to clear his throat before he could speak again. “It was ... I admit I just pitied him at first, but now ... I love him.”

“Then tell him so. Maybe he can yet be saved. I shall write to Elrond immediately.”

On their way, Thranduil yelled at one of the guards to fetch Captain Tauriel to his chambers. “He has not been eating for days now”, he stated grimly. “She should have noticed.”

Legolas said nothing, but thought to himself that he should have noticed. Every time he had pleaded with Loren to please listen to him, he should have noticed. 

“Wait here”, his father ordered as they had arrived at his chambers. “I will talk to him first.”


	6. Chapter 6

The moment his father told him he could come in, Legolas rushed into the room. He fell to his knees in front of the chair in which Loren was sitting. “Loren, I ... I never wanted to hurt you! I just ... it seemed like a good idea at the time; I was drunk, and ... please believe me, I didn’t lie to you, I ...”

He heard the door close as his father discreetly left the room. Loren didn’t answer. “Loren, I ... I love you. I fell in love with you that night.”

“You just pity me because I’m fading. Don’t. Nobody will miss me.”

He pressed his forehead to Loren’s knees. “I was trying to tell you all the time! You just wouldn’t listen! Please ... don’t leave me.”

Loren shrugged. “It would be nice if I could believe you.” He stared at Legolas with empty eyes, as if not really seeing him. 

A knock at the door interrupted Legolas’ thoughts. “Come in.” He didn’t stand up, just lifted his head. 

His father entered, and behind him, Captain Tauriel. “There, Tauriel. Look at him! How could you not inform me of this?!”

“I didn’t know, sire. He left a note on my desk, saying he was well again!”

“He is fading.”

“He ... what? No! Please tell me that’s not true! I just ... will you have me executed? I deserve it!”

“Please do not be dramatic, Captain. If, as you say, he claimed to be well, I cannot blame you for not informing me.”

“But ... I caused it, didn’t I? Because I told him ... I told him ...”

“If this is about your yelling at him back then, no, it is not your fault”, Legolas interrupted her softly. “It is my fault. I wronged him.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Now, that’s a relief. I cannot say how sorry I am for not telling you earlier.”

“It is alright. Please send a reliable messenger to Rivendell to ask for Elrond’s advice on the matter. Better yet, find someone to take over your duties and go there yourself. I shall write a short letter.”

They left again, and Legolas was alone with Loren. “Is there a way for me to prove my love?”

Loren shook his head. 

“Do you want me to leave?”

After a long pause, Loren shook his head again. “I like your lies. They are comforting. I wish I could believe them.”

That was something, at least. “You should rest. Come to my rooms, you can lie down there.”

Loren followed him without protests, until they were in his rooms and Legolas led him to the bed. 

“I do not wish to sleep with you.”

“I ... I didn’t mean that!” Dear Elbereth, what did Loren think he was? “I mean I ... would just sit here and watch over you? Or leave, if you prefer that.”

“I can sleep in my own bed.”

“Your own bed is in the guard’s quarters, and it’s a long way there. Father said you will fade faster if you exert yourself, so ... please. Stay here.”

Another shrug. 

“I will turn around while you change into a nightshirt.”

A nod.


	7. Chapter 7

Days passed. Loren refused to eat anything at all, though Legolas could persuade him to drink some sweet mead, at least. 

Then, one day, he heard the sound of Tauriel’s heavy boots in the hallway. 

He darted outside, and nearly ran into her. 

“Here.” She handed him a letter and leaned on the wall. 

While she was busy catching her breath, Legolas read Elrond’s letter. It wasn’t very encouraging – Elrond mentioned that Celebrian had been able to delay fading because she was so attached to her family, and recommended to find any and all friends and relatives of the patient and remind him of their existence often. “Does he have relatives?”

Tauriel shook her head. “Sailed west”, she said. 

“Friends?” He already knew the answer. 

Again, she shook her head. “You?”

“I? I am not ... I am the cause of his distress.”

After a while, Tauriel breathed normally again. “Where is he?”

“In my rooms.”

“He wants to stay there?”

“He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t really ask for things.”

“Alright. Just tell me if he asks for something. Anything. From what Lord Elrond said ... I may have contributed to his present state and ...”

Legolas frowned. “Actually, he did sort of ask me to stay with him. He says he likes to be told that I love him, even though he thinks I lie.”

“Legolas!” She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Don’t you realize how important that is!? You should tell him everyday. All the time. And you should ... have you tried to cook for him?”

“He doesn’t eat.”

“Maybe he would if you made the effort. You have to try! You are the only one who can get through to him!”

“You weren’t close to him?”

She let go of him. “You know how he is – was. It is hard to get to know him. We were on friendly terms, but nothing more. I will watch over him while you are away.”

“While I am away?”

“You will prepare something to eat for him. From scratch.”

Loren barely seemed to notice his saying goodbye. 

 

Legolas went to the glade where they had been together and digged out some lily roots there. Together with a filling of berries, that would make a nice little cake. It just had to work. 

Like Tauriel had suggested he did all the work himself. Picked the berries, mashed the roots, beat the egg-whites, and heated the oven. 

When the cake came out of the oven, it was a rather tiny thing, and didn’t look like much, compared to what the cooks came up with. 

Nevertheless, he carried it to his rooms, where Tauriel was watching over Loren. She was repeating, over and over, in a soft voice, that he was her best fighter, and that she didn’t know what to do without him. 

Loren smiled. A weak smile, but still. 

“Oh, look”, Tauriel exclaimed. “Legolas brought a cake for you.”

Loren slowly opened his eyes. “I am not hungry. Thank you.”

“It’s with lily roots. You know, from our clearing. I digged them out myself. Please, try a tiny crumb of it?” 

“You ... did? Why such an effort?”

“Because I love you.”

Tauriel rose from her seat and tiptoed out of the room. 

“It is nice that you pity me so much”, Loren said with a weak smile. 

Legolas sighed. “Would you please try a bit of this cake? Please?”

“If you wish.”

He ate only the tiniest piece, literally only a few crumbs, but it was a start. 

“Do you remember? That night on the clearing? How you held me?”

“How could I ever forget?” Loren smiled sadly. “I thought all my dreams had come true.”

“You ... you loved me? Even then?”

“I have been in love with you for a long time.”

“You ...” The pain was hardly bearable. To know what he had done ... it seemed so much worse now. 

“Silly, I know. How could I ever hope you would love me back?” Loren closed his eyes. “Did you meet your lover while you were gone? He must be angry with you, you neglected him so long ... how long have you been here now? Three days?”

“Nine, actually. And I don’t have a lover.”

“They talked about you in the guard’s room. It sounded as if one of them missed you. He wanted to fuck you again.”

“He was never my lover ... just someone I used to have sex with. You are the only one I ever loved.”

“Sweet lies. Sweet ... like that cake. Is there more of it?”

Legolas broke a tiny piece from the cake and held it in front of Loren. He didn’t expect Loren to eat from his hand, but that was what happened. 

“Sweet”, he murmured, then fell asleep. Legolas watched the fast movement of his eyes. It was not a peaceful dream, sadly, but at least, sleep. 

Legolas fell asleep in his chair, and was just having a nightmare wherein Loren died, when a sudden movement startled him awake. 

Loren was reaching for the cake on the nightstand. Legolas took it and put it into his hand. “Hungry?”

“A bit.” Loren admitted, as if it was a weakness. He ate, in slow movements, and after a while, Legolas was surprised to see that the whole small cake was gone. 

“I could make you some beechnut pancakes, next”, he suggested. “What do you think?”

“You should not waste so much time on me, my lord”, Loren replied, but his eyes seemed brighter than before as he said it. 

There was a knock at the door. Legolas went to open it. Must be Tauriel – convenient, she could stay with Loren while he went to make pancakes. 

He opened the door and stared into Deleb’s face. “You.” He suspected that Deleb had been the one whom Loren had heard talk, and thus had no desire to see him again. 

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for weeks.”

“I have ...” How to explain this? He had not even asked Tauriel how she had explained Loren’s absence to the other guards. 

Sheets rustled as Loren moved. 

“Who is this? You never allowed me into your bedroom.” Deleb grabbed the front of his shirt. Legolas was too shocked to do anything about it. “I have a mind to fuck you right here in front of your new lover, to remind you how much you like my big ...”

“Enough!” Legolas replied sharply. “You forget who I am. My father ...”

“Bah. Your loss.” Deleb let go of him, pushed him back and walked away. 

Legolas stumbled back into his room, and might have fallen had not two hands, out of nowhere, steadied his hips. 

“What ... Loren?” He turned around. 

“My lord.”

Loren was kneeling on the floor, sword lying in front of him as if he had just dropped it. 

“You are to stay in bed!”

“It is my duty to protect you.”

“You are not on duty! Hasn’t Tauriel told you?” He offered Loren his hand. “Get back to bed. I can take care of myself.”

“He should respect you”, Loren mumbled, but took his hand and allowed himself to be led back to the bed. 

“Indeed. I cannot believe that I wasted so much time with him. He was not so impolite before.” When he got what he wanted. It was easy to see that now.


	8. Chapter 8

The next visitor was Thranduil, who promptly noticed the sword on the floor. “Has there been fighting?”

 

“I tried to get out of bed, sire”, Loren replied before Legolas could say anything. “As it turned out I was not strong enough to carry my sword.”

“Ah.” Thranduil picked up the sword and returned it to its sheath that Legolas had placed on a chair, with Loren’s other guard’s equipment. “Yet you tried. Does that mean you are better?”

“I believe so, sire.”

“Very well.”

“Could you stay with Loren for a while, father?” Legolas asked quickly. “I thought I’d go make him some pancakes.”

“Of course”, Thranduil replied with an elegant movement of his head that was so unlike Loren’s weak nods of the past weeks.

Though Legolas had no reason to complain. Loren was getting better, after all. 

 

It was not the season to gather beechnuts in the forest, but Legolas peeled them and mashed them with his own hands. Some of the spices he could gather fresh in the garden, and all in all, it took quite some time. 

He also took a bottle of maple syrup when he carried the tray to his rooms. Nothing he had made himself, but he had noticed that Loren liked sweet foods, and any added nourishment was good. 

When he arrived at his rooms, he heard his father’s voice. He knew he shouldn’t listen at doors, but he could not resist. 

“I have done nothing more than my duty”, he heard his father say in a gentle voice. “Though if you need a reason; it is because my wife died this way that I feel so ... involved in this.”

Loren’s answer was too quiet to understand. 

“She will not be reborn until her soul is healed – which may take many hundred years still.”

Legolas swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Mother. He missed her terribly, but he had never before realized in such clarity that it was even harder for his father. To have lost one’s true love ... at least Legolas had one parent left. Thranduil had no one but a son who added to his sorrows. 

He knocked on the door, and was called in. 

“Ah, the pancakes are ready. Perfect. If you will excuse me?” Thranduil left the room, and Legolas was alone with Loren. 

“Will you tell King Thranduil about Deleb?” Loren asked. “About his behaviour?”

“Rather not, and thank you for not telling him. He’ll tell me its my own fault for allowing such familiarity.Why?”

“You may have encouraged Deleb to treat you like one of his fellow guards. His behaviour, though ... It is not my place to tell you how to handle this, but ...”

Legolas inclined his head. “You are right.” As always. “I will tell father.” He might be to blame for the fact that Deleb treated him, the prince, that way, but with other guards or servants, Deleb certainly didn’t need encouraging. “Do you want to eat something now?”

“You shouldn’t have ...”

“I wanted to. Now, with or without maple syrup?”

“With.” Loren smiled weakly. “If you would tell me the truth?”

“About what?”

“Your feelings when ... when you asked me to follow you to the clearing. Please. I ...”

“Of course. Here, start eating, I trust it will not upset you.” He helped Loren sit up and placed the tray on his lap. 

“I was tipsy. I felt exactly what I said. You were a beautiful sight, and ... well, I’ll admit I felt some pity because you were always alone, but ...”

“And later? When you ... when you asked me to kiss you?” Loren took the tiniest bite of pancake and swallowed quickly. 

“By then, my feelings should have been rather obvious.” He smiled at the memory. “You are very handsome. I did desire you.”

Loren ate another small bite of pancake. “You did?”

“Of course. You must have noticed how my body reacted to your ... attentions.”

“You could have been thinking of someone else.”

“Oh no! How could I? No one else ever ...” He hesitated. “Well. No one else ever ... took so long to ...”

“Oh. I see. I was clumsy.” Loren stared at his meal, apparently having lost his appetite. 

“No!” Legolas sighed. Why was it so difficult to put this into words? “I liked the way you touched me. No one else ever ... ever cared whether I get hurt.”

“What?!” There was a noise as cutlery fell on plate. 

“It’s not that they hurt me,” he quickly added. Not on purpose, anyway. “It is just ... well, they wouldn’t have stopped just because I might get a bit sore.”

“Still. This is not how ... how they should treat their king’s son, nor how anyone should treat his lover.” Loren looked furious, and, a moment after, attacked the pancakes as if they had offended him. 

Legolas watched him in silent amusement until he could be sure Loren would eat everything. “What I meant to say was that ... I think I may have fallen in love when you asked me whether you might touch me. Or maybe the morning after, when you left that lily for me.”

“Really?” Hope blossomed on Loren’s emaciated face. 

“Really. Now, eat up. Some more maple syrup?”


	9. Chapter 9

In the evening, Loren, who had been asleep for some time, stirred again. “My lord?”

“Yes?” He should tell him to call him Legolas, but there was a part of him that loved to hear how Loren stressed the ‘my’. 

“You haven’t slept in your bed for weeks ...”

“No, you won’t get up. You are not nearly strong enough.”

“Would you lie with me? Just ...” Loren averted his gaze, obviously embarrassed about his question. 

“I will hold you while you sleep.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

He changed into a nightshirt and hesitatingly crawled into the bed. Loren seemed to have really meant his request, though, and cuddled against him with a happy sigh. 

One arm wrapped around Loren, Legolas felt reminded of their first night together. “I still owe you an orgasm.” This had never before been a concern. Sex usually ended when his partner was finished, not with him falling asleep. 

“You owe me nothing, my love”, Loren murmured sleepily. “It was my pleasure.”

Legolas smiled fondly as he burrowed his face in Loren’s hair. A pleasure, indeed. 

 

In the morning, Loren asked for breakfast and ate with a healthy appetite. “Will you leave me alone for some time, my lord?” he asked afterwards. “I need time to think.”

Legolas hesitated. Loren looked a lot better, but still ... he was too thin, his hair too dull. For a human, it would have been nothing out of the ordinary, something that could be easily fixed by better food, but for an elf ... “Alright. I need to talk to my father anyway. I will knock at the door when I return.”

He did not look forward to it, but Loren was right, he needed to talk about Deleb. 

As it turned out, his father was just outside his door, pacing the hallway restlessly. 

“Father?”

“Legolas. How is Loren?”

“Very well. He ate a proper breakfast today.”

“Good. We shall discuss the future, soon.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you right now. Can we go to your rooms?”

Thranduil inclined his head. “Of course.”

When they were seated in chairs of dark wood and green velvet, and Legolas held a goblet full of fresh spring water in his hands, his father gave a little nod. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Um. Please don’t be angry! I ... well, I know you disapprove of my ‘dalliances’ ...”

“I do. Have you resumed your previous lifestyle?”

“No! I ... actually, Deleb came to my rooms and, um, asked why I hadn’t met with him for so long ...”

“And you told him ...?”

“I didn’t get to answer, he noticed that someone was in my bed and came to the wrong conclusions, and then he grabbed my collar, and ...”

“He what?” His father raised an eyebrow. 

“Well he ... he grabbed my collar and told me he would like to, um, have intercourse with me ... in a rather aggressive way ... that’s actually why Loren got out of bed, to protect me. “

“I see.” Thranduil’s voice was icy. 

“I know it is all my fault, but ...”

“What happened then?”

“I reminded him who I am, and he let go of me and walked away.”

“Ah.” 

“Are you very angry, father?” 

“Very.” 

Legolas shrunk in his chair. 

“Las.” His father’s voice was surprisingly gentle. “My dear son, do you really think I am angry with _you?_ ”

“You always told me not to ...”

“Listen. I told that your behaviour would cause heartbreak sooner or later, and I was right. I also told you not to encourage too much familiarity – although I have to admit I may have made that same mistake with Tauriel. What Deleb did, though ... what do you think, how would he treat a scullery boy if one of them ended an affair with him?”

“I don’t know.” Considering that a reminder of his status had been necessary to get Deleb to leave him alone ... 

“I neither. And that is why I will put him into the dungeons and have his overall behaviour investigated.”

Thranduil got up and pulled a bellstring. When, shortly after, a servant entered, Thranduil told him to fetch Tauriel. 

“You wanted to talk about the future”, Legolas reminded him. “What about it?”

“As it now seems that Loren will survive ... what are your intentions regarding him?”

“Intentions? Isn’t that obvious? I love him!”

“So you will carry on like before?”

“No. I will ask him for his hand in marriage.”

The expected reaction did not come. His father just smiled. 

“Now? Don’t you want to tell me that it is my duty to beget heirs?”

Thranduil laughed. “You should know me better than that. It is true, I do desire my realm to be ruled wisely after my death. Yet I decided to live on and wait for your mother to be reborn. Should, despite all caution, I die before she has returned, I could not wish for a better ruler than Loren.”

“What?”

“You are too rash and irresponsible, I am sorry to say. I don’t trust you to rule wisely on your own.”

“Does that ... does that mean I have your blessing?”

“It does.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. A slightly breathless Tauriel entered. “Is ... is anything amiss, sire?”

“It is indeed, but Loren is well, if that is your concern.”

“Oh. Good.”

“Legolas, you can return to your room now.”


	10. Chapter 10

It was a strange feeling, knocking at the door to his own room. No answer. With trembling hand, he opened the door. 

Loren was sitting in the chair next to the bed, fully clothed, smiling. “My lord.”

“You didn’t say anything when I knocked!”

“Forgive me. I could think of nothing appropriate to say – how could I deny you entry to your own room?”

“So you didn’t want me to ...?”

“Quite the opposite.”

“You are well?” He sure looked better. 

“I trust I am. It will take some time to regain my full strength, but I am not in danger anymore.”

“Now that you are better ...” Legolas cleared his throat. “What are your plans for the future?”

“I will ask Captain Tauriel to assign me some light duties, such as guarding the king’s chambers, in the next few days.”

“No, I mean ... about ... me. Our relationship. Do you ... do you still want me? Now that you know the truth?” 

“My lord.” Loren’s gaze was so intense Legolas was surprised it didn’t feel warm on his skin. “I decided to live because I believed your kind words. Are they true?”

“Of course!”

“Then that is settled. Would you accompany me on a walk? I need to move.”

“Under the condition that you eat a second breakfast afterwards.”

Loren smiled. “Gladly, my lord.”

They didn’t talk while they walked through the gardens. Only when they had arrived at the glade, still part of the guarded area, but not of the cultivated gardens, Legolas finally dared to speak. “You never asked me for a kiss.” 

“It did not seem appropriate, my lord, to remind you of my desires, when you certainly are already aware of them.” Loren moved closer to him. “Do you wish to kiss me?”

Legolas almost shivered under his intense gaze. “I do.”

At first, kissing Loren felt like a relief, as though a chronic, dull pain had ended. Soon after came joy, at the feeling of soft lips on his, and the closeness of Loren’s body. He ran his hands through dark, silky hair. 

“Do you remember what I said last night?”, he whispered into Loren’s ear after breaking the kiss, but not the embrace. 

“Oh.” Loren seemed surprised. “That was not a dream?”

“No. I want you”, he breathed. “You may not think that I owe you, but I want to give you as much pleasure as I possibly can.”

“Please”, Loren replied, his voice almost a moan, his body already reacting. “I am all yours ... though I would rather not do it here.”

“No?”

“It took me half the night to get the grass and bugs out of your hair last time.”

 

Upon returning to the castle, they noticed hushed voices, gossip flying from ear to ear. “What is going on?” Legolas asked two guardswomen who had suddenly fallen silent on his arrival. 

“You don’t know?”

“No, I don’t. So, what is the matter?”

“Your father, the king, ordered everyone to come to his chambers to be questioned. Separately.”

“What?!”

“No one knows why, but there are rumours it has something to do with a crime committed by Deleb. He’s been imprisoned.”

Oh. So that was what this was about. “Do you have an idea what he did?”

“He is one of your friends, isn’t he?”

Of course. They wouldn’t tell him anything important. “Not if he committed a crime.”

Now the woman who had not said anything up to then, spoke. “I heard rumours that he has been courting a servant, and when she broke things off, he reacted ... badly.”

“Elbereth!” Even after what Deleb had done to him, he would never have suspected something like that. “He attacked a woman?”

“Not attacked. He yelled at her, from what I heard.”

So at least he had something like a conscience. Still. It was well known that causing a woman to fade was punishable by death.

“How could he have been so stupid?” Legolas wondered aloud while Loren and he walked towards his rooms. “If you were a woman, father would have had me executed, likely.”

“Actually ...”

“Yes?”

“I should not tell you this, my lord.”

“Please, do. Did he plan to execute me?”

“No, not you. Though ... when he found out that I was fading ... he wanted to swear an oath to have the offender executed. I could persuade him not to.” Loren shrugged. “That was before he knew it was you.”

“So he is taking this really seriously.” Good. After all, causing someone to fade was not better than murder. Rather worse, as one who died without pain might be reborn soon. 

 

They passed a long line of waiting elves on the way to his rooms. Apparently, Thranduil had called in the lowest servants first.

“Maybe I should not have told him”, Legolas murmured after the door of his rooms had closed behind them. “It is such a fuss ... and I don’t want Deleb to be executed.” After all, they had been friends once. Not so long ago, even. 

“I am sure your father will do nothing without your consent.”

Probably, Loren was right. “Now, I think I promised you something.”

“You did?”

“Yes.” He gestured towards the bed. “No grass in my hair this time.”

Loren smiled. “Ah. Far be it from me to prevent you from fulfilling your promise.”

Legolas had seen many men naked, muscled ones like Loren, too, but this was special, nevertheless. There was a feeling of intimacy he had never experienced before, and it was not just because they were in his bedroom. 

“You are so beautiful, my lord”, Loren whispered. “I thought I knew that already, but ...”

“Things look different in daylight. Yes. You too.” He took in every single scar on Loren’s broad chest, felt a twinge of guilt at the sight of much too visible ribs. “You do know you can just call me by my name, do you?”

“I know. I just ... give me time.”

“As much as you need.”

Loren walked to the bed and laid down. “I am afraid I am not very experienced ...”

“You are not?” Judging from his nimble fingers, this was surprising. “I admit I assumed you just were rather discreet about your affairs.” And that he had had them someplace else. 

“No. You seem surprised?”

“You are, well ... very talented.”

Loren shrugged. “Self-experimentation.”

“Oh.” Legolas mentally filed that information away for later use. He would like to imagine that in detail. 

“Pathetic, I know.”

“No, rather intriguing, actually. I should like to watch sometime.”

“Oh.” Loren smiled. His arousal was obvious now. “Whenever you want, my love.”

Knowing that Loren would not allow it any other way, Legolas did take the time to prepare himself. 

Loren watched, frowning, as he made use of oil. “Are you sure it will not hurt even with those precautions?”

“I have my senses about me this time. You will have to accept that I might be a bit sore afterwards ... maybe I like that.” 

“The skin there is very tender. Please allow me to be careful.”

He just couldn’t deny Loren anything. “You shall have me any way you wish.”

“Thank you ... my lord.”

To hear Loren talk was, itself, an erotic experience. His voice was seductive, caressing ... promising of gentle touches and more.   
Legolas straddled him and guided his erection to where he wanted it. 

Strong hands steadied his hips as he let himself sink onto his lover. “Enough.”

“You’re not even halfway in.” 

“It is enough. You will not derive more pleasure from deeper penetration.”

“How do you know?” True, Loren’s calm certainty made him mad with desire, and he didn’t think anything could be even better, but ...

“Experimentation. That is why I touched you there ...” He did it again, rubbed the sensitive skin, and a soft moan escaped Legolas’ throat. “... that night. 

“What about your pleasure?”

“I like it that way.” Loren closed a fist around his member, continuing to touch Legolas with his index finger. “Like this. Now ... do what you had in mind.”

He had never done it like this, but quickly found out that he enjoyed the teasing tip on his hole, pushing past his muscle ring again and again. The touch of Loren’s fist gave him the illusion that his lover was fully sheathed inside him, pushing in again and again and again. 

“I am close”, Loren breathed. “May I ...?”

“Yes” Oh yes! 

He felt his lover spill inside him, more intense than he had experienced it ever before. Unwilling to let go of the feeling, he remained where he was. It felt like he must explode with pleasure anytime, and still, he wanted more. 

Nimble fingers, now slick with come, rubbed his sensitive skin, and he came, even more intense this time. It was all the could do not to collapse immediately. 

Finally, Loren slid out of him. “Are you satisfied, my love?”

“You need to ask?” 

“I like to know for certain.” Loren’s gaze was all devotion. 

“Then yes, I am.” Legolas grinned. “More than ever.”

Ever his thoughtful self, Loren fetched a wet cloth and cleaned them both, miraculously managing to keep the bedlinen clean. 

“That was easier last time, I have to admit.”

“Really?”

“I suppose the next rain washed away most of it.”

“So you ... didn’t come on my body?”

“What? No.” Loren laid down next to him and placed a kiss on his naked shoulder. “You were asleep, my love. I cleaned you as much as was needed to preserve your reputation, put your clothes back on and carried you to your bedroom.”

“My reputation? If you wanted to keep my reputation as it was, you should have left me there, all dirty and naked.” Deleb’s behaviour was proof of how little respect he commanded. 

“Why would that keep your reputation intact?” Loren was honestly confused. 

“You don’t think Deleb is the only guardsman who fucked me? Obviously you didn’t hear the gossip.” Figured. Loren wouldn’t tell gossip, so he probably was excluded from such talk altogether. 

“Indeed, no. I hope you were not unhappy with what I did? I thought I acted in your best interest.”

“You did. Though I have to admit, I might have thought it all a dream if you had not left that lily blossom for me.”

“Ah, yes. I thought it fitting to leave something to let you know I remembered ... seeing as I could not stay with you until the morning. A written message might have been found by a servant.”

“You are always so thoughtful.” And he loved it. Couldn’t get enough of it. 

“I aim to please, my lord.”

“In that, you are very successful, too.” He hugged Loren. His. Forever his. He would have to ask about marriage soon ... but not now. It was too early.

“We didn’t even properly talk about your tastes.”

“Not?”

“No.” Loren extended a hand to lazily caress Legolas’ hair. “I gathered that you enjoy a more indirect stimulation, but am not sure ... maybe a combination would ...”

“I don’t know.”

“You do not know? You have plenty of experience, so ...?”

“Yes but ... I don’t know, I was always proud of being able to come from ...” being fucked. “... penetration alone, my partners liked it, and ... I just don’t know.”

“We can experiment, I suppose. You certainly touch yourself sometimes?”

“Sure. But that’s ... different.”

“Oh yes. Very different”, Loren agreed. “I had no idea how ... that first time with you was ...”

“Dissatisfying?”

Loren laughed softly. “You are joking, love. It was the most wonderful experience in ... the past hundred years? Or maybe my whole life, it is difficult to compare.”

“You didn’t come. Not while I was awake, at least.”

“That is not important.” Loren weaved through his hair. “To hold you in my arms ... it was ... I have no words to describe it. Oh I did make use of the memory when I was alone, later ... but it could not compare.”

“You really never held someone in your arms before?” Now, he felt pity again. 

“That’s not ... of course I hugged my family. It is ... you. To hold you ...”

“Oh.” That look on Loren’s face made him feel all warm inside. “I feel like that about you, too. But that’s not what I meant. Touching myself is ... just taking care of my own needs.I might feel selfish asking the same things of a partner.”

Loren looked at him for a long time. “But I would love to take care of your needs. My lord.”

“I know.” He felt so ridiculously happy. “You should think more about your own needs. I do think you promised me to eat a second breakfast.”

“I did. If you have no objections, I will go to the kitchens immediately.”

“You are going nowhere. I will call a servant. Immediately after I get dressed.”


	11. Chapter 11

It took longer than expected, and the woman who finally brought Loren’s second breakfast explained that everything was in disorder. “The kitchen boys are all standing in line in front of the king’s chambers, and there’s rumour the girls will be next, and it was difficult to fix a meal with all that upheaval... not that I complain, but ... do you happen to know what this is about, my lord?”

“I have my suspicions”, Legolas replied. “What are the rumours in the kitchens?”

“There has been talk that ... someone is ... fading”, she whispered. “That’s not true, is it?”

“Greatly exaggerated. Loren here has been a bit unwell, but, as you see, he is getting better. I only know about a case of serious misconduct. I suppose father has decided that a routine questioning of every member of the household is in order, just to make sure there isn’t anything festering under the surface, so to speak.” There. That would hopefully be vague enough to satisfy his father, and clear enough to reassure the staff. 

“Thank you so much. We were all so worried.” 

When she had left, Legolas allowed himself a sigh. “Really, I don’t think it is worth it. I shouldn’t have told him.”

“We will see.” Loren started to eat, but halfway through, he shook his head. “I can eat no more. I am sorry, my lord.”

“Is it because you are full, or ...?”

“The latter, I fear.” 

“Would it help if I made you something myself?”

“It would ... help, I think if you were to ... feed me by hand”, Loren replied slowly, avoiding his gaze. 

“If that is all?” He took one of the unfinished slices of bread and held it to Loren’s mouth. “Why does it help?”

“My throat feels not as tight”, Loren murmured, picking the bread from his hand with soft lips. 

“So, you are still ...?” He didn’t dare speak it out. 

“No, I just ... I need to recover.”

“Would it help if I held you?”

“Yes.”

They ended up sitting on the bed. Legolas had one arm wrapped around Loren, using his free hand to feed him bits and pieces of the meal. 

“I am so sorry I cause you so much worry”, Loren murmured after finishing. 

Legolas shook his head. “You make me happy. Very much so. I am the one who should apologize.”

“You already have. I should get over it. I ...”

“Lay back.”

Loren stared at him, confused, but obliged. 

“There, that’s better. I never got the opportunity to explore your body nearly as thoroughly as you did mine.”

Loren’s confusion melted into a smile. “I am looking forward to it.”

Legolas fumbled his robes open and ran his hands over the smooth skin of his chest. “Why on earth don’t you have more experience? You’re beautiful! You could have had anyone!”

“I did not want just anyone.”

“Then why me? I am not at all like you ...” His father’s words came back to mind. Too rash, too irresponsible ...

“You are like yourself.” Loren gazed at him earnestly. “You are ... happy and carefree, and I have always felt drawn to you because of that.”

“If that’s what you like about me”, Legolas murmured as he continued to caress Loren’s body. “There’d be plenty of other elves to choose from. Almost everyone is more carefree than you.”

Loren gave a happy sigh and snuggled into his touch. “You also have a kind heart. And ... I cannot claim to know exactly why I love you. Just those things I can name.”

“Still ... why me? And moreover, why did you never say anything?” Sure, he would have been surprised, but pleasantly so. 

“I had reason to believe that you ... favoured others.”

“Figures”, Legolas murmured. All the time he had wasted!   
He busied himself kissing Loren’s chest. Touching the nipples elicited a most interesting reaction. 

Loren grasped the bedsheets and arched his body. “Please ...”

“Do you want me to stop?” Legolas teased, though it did not sound like it. 

“No!” Loren bit his lip. “I was just ... I am really sensitive there.”

“Oh yes, I can see that.” He placed a kiss on Loren’s sternum. “Shall I continue, or ... save that for later?”

“As you wish.”

Now that was an irresistible invitation. He would most definitely come back to that later. For now, he continued his explorations. 

Loren was so ready for him ... but he needed to be patient. “What kind of touch do you enjoy?”, he asked, trailing a finger over Loren’s stomach. 

“A ... ah!” 

“Your navel is sensitive, too?”

“Yes. And ... I like a firm grip.”

Legolas tried it out. “Like this?”

“Stronger.”

“You really like it rough, do you?” He would not even grip the hilt of his sword as firmly. 

Loren writhed under him. “Not – ah! – in general.”

 

Legolas hummed his agreement and kissed Loren’s nipples again. Pleased by the loud gasp that followed, he used his tongue next. 

“You like that, do you?”

Loren arched his body again, with a stifled noise. 

“You really like that.” Legolas tried a kiss on the mouth next, and drowned out another moan. 

The wetness on his hand surprised him somewhat. “Already?”

“My apologies, I ...”

“Oh, I do love it when you ask for permission to come ...” Inside him, especially. “But you don’t need to.”

“It is just ... my endurance is sub-par, I know ...”

“You are aware you are talking to the elf who fell sound asleep without even trying to satisfy you?” 

“That was different ... you were drunk.”

“Even worse. I shouldn’t have approached you in that state. You deserve better than that.”

“I found it to be a delighting experience.” Loren smiled. “My only worry was that you might not really want it, not really want me.”

“You need not have worried. I never ask for things I don’t want, regardless how drunk I am.” Though he had to admit ... “Some of the things I ask for while drunk may be not wise to do, but I always want them.”

“I am glad to hear that.” Loren smiled. “Now ... what can I do for you?”

 

“I ...”

“Of course, you will want to wipe your hand.”

Legolas watched in confusion as Loren fetched a wet cloth. That had been far from his thoughts. 

“There. Now ... would you show me how you pleasure yourself? I would like some inspiration ...”

“I ... I never ...” 

“Forgive me. I ask too much, too early.”

“No! It’s just ...”

“You want to keep some things to yourself. I understand that.”

“That’s not it, it is just ... I would feel ... selfish, I think?”

“I assure you, it would be most pleasant to watch you. Maybe, though, you want to guide my hand?”

“Alright ... you will be bored.”

Loren smiled. “I almost certainly will not. Come.” He opened his arms, and pulled Legolas close. “Now, show me.”

It felt strange to go through the motions with another hand in his. And embarrassing. “You see, I just put my hand here, and, sort of, move, until ...”

“And you enjoy this?” Loren’s breath felt warm on his neck. 

“Yes ... it’s just ... nothing special?”

“It doesn’t have to. May I?” 

“Yes ...?”

Loren’s movements were slower than his own, a different rhythm. “Good?”

He nodded, deciding that he liked the difference. After all, this was not about getting rid of his erection as fast as possible. 

Loren placed a gentle kiss on his shoulder. “In comparison to what we did before ... do you like this more?”

“Not sure.” It all felt so good. 

“I’ll try something ...”

“Yes?”

Loren did something with his nimble fingers, a very light touch. Legolas moaned in response. 

“Good?”

“Very.” He wanted to stay like this forever. In Loren’s arms, enjoying those gentle touches ... “Aren’t you bored?”

“Far from it”, Loren whispered in his ear. “It is a pleasure. I would like to keep you like this all day.”

The prospect of a whole day like that was what drove him over the edge. Loren held him as he trembled and shivered. 

“You see, my endurance isn’t that good, either”, he murmured when he had somewhat recovered his senses. Or, rather, it was because Loren was just that good. 

“You were in a hurry”, Loren scolded good-naturedly. 

“Not really. We could repeat that sometime.”

“I am looking forward to it. Now.” Loren stretched. “I really ought to return to my duties. Captain Tauriel can certainly use some help right now.”

“And father, too.” Legolas sighed. “I really hope I made the right decision.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to update for the rest of this week, as I am on vacation, but I intend to regularly update again when I return. :)

The line in front of his father’s rooms had shrunk considerably. Legolas waited until the last elf left, and opened the door without knocking. “What is this all about?”, he demanded to know. 

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. “I was under the impression I had told you already.”

“You are really going to talk to everyone?”

“No; the questioning of the female staff I delegated to Tauriel.”

“Father, this is really not necessary!”

“Sit down, Legolas.” His father gestured towards a chair. 

He obeyed reflexively. 

“If I just asked people to come to me if they had something to tell, few would dare to do so. After all, they would have to fear someone would hear about their audience with me .... thus, I deemed it more efficient to talk to everyone. And the strategy has proven successful. I have been able to gather some bits and pieces of information regarding Deleb. He has, indeed, behaved rather rude towards many.”

“Are you going to have him executed?”

Thranduil hesitated, then, very slowly, shook his head. “If nothing new comes to light, I would rather not. He will, however, have to learn about boundaries and respecting them. Meaning that he will spend quite some time in the dungeons, and, most importantly, not work as guard anymore.”

“Oh. Good.” He wouldn’t have felt good about someone being executed on his behalf. 

“You will understand that ... that I cannot let this go unpunished. After what was done to your mother ...”

Legolas nodded. “It is alright, father. I understand.” The name of the one who had murdered the Queen was never spoken in Mirkwood. Eradicated from the official documents. No one should remember him, that was to be part of the punishment. Of course there were accounts, locked up safely, just in case the offender was reborn. 

He walked to his father’s seat and put a hand on his shoulder. 

Thranduil looked surprised, but did not flinch. “You are not going to spend the day with Loren?”

“I am afraid I will not be able to persuade him to skip duty one more day. Tauriel is busy, and he wants to help.”

“Indeed. That sounds like him. You chose well.”

“Even though I was drunk.” In fact, the guardsmen had chosen for him. By talking about Loren so rudely, maybe. Or ... maybe he had not been as driven by pity as he had made himself believe. 

“After so many bad choices, it was just a matter of time before you would, quite by accident, make a sensible one”, his father replied dryly. “I am just glad that you were able to recognize Loren’s worth.”

“It is quite obvious.” Legolas smiled. “I shall go and look for him. It is almost time for his next meal. Do you require help with the questioning?”

“I would like to not have to do it all myself, but I don’t think you should be the one doing it in my stead. Considering that many know only of your ... affair with Deleb, it would not be wise.”

“Of course.”


	13. Chapter 13

As he was not sure on how to court a male elf, Legolas just proceeded to do what he had already begun. On occasion, he would cook or bake something for Loren, and almost every day, he sought out his company. 

Loren regained his strength and full beauty, and when winter came, Legolas felt confident enough to propose. 

They were walking among the leafless trees, admiring the reflection of sunlight on snow, when Legolas brought it up. “I have been ... thinking about marriage.”

“Oh.” Loren did not sound pleased. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Legolas swallowed. “Yes”, he replied with a raspy voice. Did Loren not want him forever, then? Had he brought it up too early? Or should he never have brought it up at all?`

“Who is she? Tauriel? I have noticed that your father is fond of her ...”

“Tauriel was almost a child when she came here, orphaned”, Legolas replied absent-mindedly. “He’s always tried to keep boundaries, but he never had a daughter, and ...” His voice trailed off, as he was certain Loren didn’t really want to know that. 

“Ah.”

“In fact, I am not sure whether I already am married”, Legolas continued, hoping that Loren would take the hint. 

“You are not sure?!” Now Loren was staring at him. Looking hurt. 

“Forgive me. I know, as we all do, that the act of bodily union forges an unbreakable bond between two elves of different sexes ... father told me that, in some cases, this can happen between elves of the same sex, but ...” 

“Oh.” Loren’s features smoothened somewhat. “Oh!”

“Your strong reaction to my ... mistake led me to believe that maybe ... “ He grasped Loren’s hands. “Do you feel something between us?”

“Of course I do”, Loren whispered. “Always have, ever since ... but you don’t feel the same, do you?” The expression of pain on his lovely face was torture to Legolas. 

“I love you”, he replied quickly. “I want to be with you forever. Whether there is a bond already, I am not sure, but ... I want one.” He placed his hands on Loren’s shoulders. “Want to marry you.”

Their eyes met, and suddenly, he was sure. When they kissed, there was something, undeniably, something he might have missed while drunk, as the strong wine always dulled his senses, but now ... he could feel the bond. 

“What do you say to an official ceremony? An excuse to celebrate?” he asked when they parted. 

“In spring”, Loren murmured close to his ear. “I would like to celebrate in spring. Or maybe early summer, when the lilies are blooming.”

 

 

Legolas and Loren wanted to be wed on the clearing where they had first lain with each other. King Thranduil insisted on a traditional wedding. 

The result of this was that they were to be wed on the clearing, and that there was a bed prepared among the lilies. 

Legolas had thought he was not easily embarrassed, but to stand in front of all the court, and speak his wedding vows, with everyone knowing what Loren and he would be doing afterwards ... it was more than a bit awkward. 

 

With a small inclination of his head, Thranduil signalled the end of the ceremony. “Let us proceed to the celebrations”, he decreed, and, helped by the guards under Tauriel, herded the wedding guests to the castle gardens.


End file.
